| Oct. 7, 2004
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907
Roadrunners conclude six-match homestand against Louisiana-Monroe, Northwestern State this weekend Complete Release | Listen Live SAN ANTONIO - The UTSA volleyball team hosts a pair of Southland Conference volleyball matches this weekend at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners, 7-9 overall and 4-3 in the SLC, meet Louisiana-Monroe (5-12, 0-7) on Friday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m., and then face Northwestern State (9-7, 5-2) on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 4 p.m. UTSA is coming off a tough five-game loss to Texas State at home on Tuesday night. The Roadrunners have dominated the all-time series with both schools, 20-3 against Louisiana-Monroe and 21-1 versus Northwestern State. UTSA Roadrunners (7-9, 4-3 SLC)
vs.
Louisiana-Monroe Indians (5-12, 0-7 SLC) Friday, Oct. 8 • 7 p.m.
Convocation Center (5,100) • San Antonio, Texas UTSA Roadrunners (7-9, 4-3 SLC)
vs.
Northwestern State Lady Demons (9-7, 5-2 SLC)* Saturday, Oct. 9 • 4 p.m.
Convocation Center (5,100) • San Antonio, Texas
*Northwestern St. plays at Texas St. on Friday night. UTSA vs. Louisiana-Monroe History
Series Record: UTSA leads, 20-3
Last meeting: Oct. 31, 2003 - Monroe, La.
UTSA won, 3-1 (22-30, 30-28, 30-18, 30-24)
UTSA vs. Northwestern State History
Series Record: UTSA leads, 21-1
Last meeting: Nov. 1, 2003 - Natchitoches, La.
UTSA won, 3-1 (30-28, 30-21, 25-30, 30-27)
Scouting Louisiana-Monroe
The Indians enter Friday night’s match at 5-12 overall and 0-7 in the Southland Conference. Louisiana-Monroe is coming off a 3-1 victory over Centenary on Tuesday night, its first win since Sept. 14 over Grambling. Sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Ehlert, who attended San Antonio O’Connor High School, leads the Indians with a team-best 218 kills (3.52 kpg) and 145 digs (2.34 dpg). Sophomore setter Darci Mika averages 9.44 assists per game (585 assists), while Junior middle blocker Eveta Gambrah and senior middle blocker Ashley Williams have posted 44 and 41 blocks, respectively. Head coach Alycia Varytimidis is 20-122 in five seasons at the helm.
Scouting Northwestern State
The Lady Demons have been one of the early surprise teams in the Southland Conference. Northwestern State, 9-7 overall, will enter a Friday night match at Texas State tied for first place in the league with a 5-2 mark. After dropping their first two SLC matches to Texas-Arlington and Sam Houston State, the Lady Demons have reeled off five straight wins, the last a 3-0 sweep of Lamar on Oct. 2. Freshman outside hitter Whitney King leads the attack with 183 kills (3.33 kpg), while senior middle blocker Beth Freeland owns a team-high 43 blocks (0.81 bpg). Junior setter Flavia Beto averages 7.22 assists per game (397 assists) and senior libero Ashley Hadley has posted a team-best 205 digs (3.94 dpg). Head coach Leigh Mullins is 22-47 in her second season in Natchitoches.
Week-In-Review
UTSA fell to I-35 rival Texas State in five games on Tuesday night at the Convocation Center, 30-27, 29-31, 22-30, 30-16, 8-15. Sophomore Connie Picard led four players in double-digit kills with 16, while sophomores Meagan Daniel and DeeDee Strickland posted their ninth and fourth double-doubles of the season, respectively. Daniel turned in 12 kills and 10 digs and Strickland recorded 49 assists and 12 digs. Sophomore Erin McMillan registered three aces and a season-high 31 digs, one shy of her career-high set last season, while sophomore Brittany Hildebrand and junior Jennifer Emelogu turned in 14 and 11 kills, respectively. Senior Brandace Cantu added a season-best 16 digs and two aces. The Bobcats out hit the Roadrunners, .175-.154, behind 20 kills from Elizabeth Nwoke and 15 from Kacee Rogers. Krystal Kolkhorst posted a match-high 55 assists.
UTSA Tidbits
UTSA has played three games in 12 of its 16 matches this season, posting a 6-6 record … the Roadrunners won the only four-game match over Southeastern Louisiana … UTSA has dropped all three five-gamers to Idaho State, Iowa State and Texas State … in Southland Conference games only, the Roadrunners lead the league in kills (16.62) and assists (15.21 apg) per game … Meagan Daniel has nine double-doubles this season, including six in seven conference matches and eight in the last nine matches … Roadrunners have been named SLC Offensive or Defensive Player of the Week three times, tied with Texas-Arlington for most honors in the league … Erin McMillan has turned in double-digit digs in 14 consecutive matches, including four with 20-plus digs … McMillan ranks third in conference play with 5.38 digs per game (129) and has just two reception errors in the past five matches … Brittany Hildebrand has a team-best 97 kills in SLC play (4.04 kpg) … DeeDee Strickland is second in the league with 12.50 assists per game (300).
Super Sophomores
A quintet of sophomores has played a large role in UTSA’s success this season. Meagan Daniel, Brittany Hildebrand, Erin McMillan, Connie Picard and DeeDee Strickland all gained valuable experience as true freshmen in 2003, leading the Roadrunners to a 19-14 record and an appearance in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinal. Daniel, the 2003 SLC Freshman of the Year and a first team selection, and Hildebrand, an honorable mention all-league pick last year, have paced the outside attack, posting 193 (3.51/game) and 184 (3.47/game) kills, respectively. Picard, a 2003 All-SLC Tournament choice, has been solid in the middle, averaging 2.73 kills (150) and 0.95 blocks (52) per game. McMillan, an honorable mention pick last year, leads the defense from her libero position, posting a team-high 246 digs (4.47/game) while pitching in with 16 service aces. Strickland, a third-team All-SLC setter last year and a preseason second-team selection this year, has registered 628 assists (11.42/game), 21 kills, 18 blocks and 13 aces. Record Watch
A pair of sophomores are on their way up the UTSA career charts. Meagan Daniel has tallied 712 career kills, placing her 10th on the career list. She needs just 124 kills to catch Jennifer Sharp (836) for ninth place. Daniel also entered 2004 with 1,508 total attacks, the school single-season record, and already has added 568 to increase her total to 2,076 which ranks 10th. Daniel needs 292 total attacks to catch Jennifer Sharp (2,368) for ninth place. The school record is 4,914 set by Stacy Schmidt in 1998-2001. DeeDee Strickland posted 1,494 assists as a freshman, the third-best season on UTSA record, and has added 628 this year to up her total to 2,122 which ranks fifth all-time. Strickland needs 638 assists to tie Tobi Irish (2,760) for fourth place. Natasha Biggers holds the UTSA record with 5,440 set in 1997-2000.
SLC Accolades
UTSA players have earned Southland Conference Player of the Week accolades three times this season. On Sept. 20, Erin McMillan was named Defensive Player of the Week after posting 34 digs (5.67 dpg) against just two reception errors, five assists and two service aces in helping the Roadrunners sweep Lamar and McNeese State. McMillan and Meagan Daniel swept league honors on Oct. 4 as UTSA went 2-1 for the week. McMillan registered 51 digs (5.10 dpg) against just one reception error, while Daniel posted three double-doubles to give her eight for the year and five in six league matches.
Tough Slate
UTSA played a tough non-conference schedule and the dividends are beginning to pay off. The Roadrunners opened with 2003 national semifinalist Minnesota, a team ranked No. 5 at the time, No. 1 for three weeks and now No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25. UTSA also played Rice, currently receiving 51 votes in the poll, twice and took Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference to five games. Head Coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff
Laura Neugebauer-Groff enters her third season at the helm of the UTSA volleyball program. She came to UTSA in 2002 after a successful eight-year career at St. Mary’s, a Division II school in San Antonio, where she compiled a 256-62 record. Following a tough 8-24 debut season as the Roadrunners’ coach in 2002, Neugebauer-Groff orchestrated a remarkable turnaround in 2003, guiding an extremely young squad to a 19-14 record and an appearance in the SLC Tournament semifinals. A standout player, Neugebauer-Groff was an All-American at Texas in the mid-1980s and was named to the Southwest Conference All-Decade Team in 1992. In 2002, the San Antonio Express-News tabbed her as one of its most influential people in women’s sports. She also was a member of the National Sports Festival in 1983 and the World University Games in 1985. She played professionally for the West German Volleyball League before joining the Chicago Breeze pro team in 1988. She has been an annual participant in the U.S. Volleyball Association National Tournament since 1987. She began her coaching career at Hondo High School in 1988-90 and was an assistant coach at Texas A&M in 1990-92. She graduated from Texas in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and received her master’s in educational leadership from St. Mary’s in 1996. Neugebauer-Groff and her husband, Dwayne, have two children, Jacob (5) and Madison (3).
UTSA To Host 2005 NCAA Volleyball Championship
UTSA will host the 2005 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship on Dec. 15-17 at the Alamodome. UTSA has been the host institution for many NCAA Championship events including the Men’s Basketball Final Four in 1998 and 2004 and the 2002 Women’s Basketball Final Four. The 2004 NCAA Volleyball Championship will be hosted by Long Beach State on Dec. 16-18 in Long Beach, Calif.
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